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Many assignments at university require you to present in writing what you have learnt and investigated. What makes a good piece of academic writing? What are the key stages?
At university, you may be asked to submit essays, or reports or papers, and in the later years of an undergraduate programme to produce longer dissertations. The two most common forms of writing assignment at university are essays and reports.
Essays
Generally, essays require you to develop ideas, or arguments, provide evidence for them, and present it all logically. Although a longer essay may contain headed sections, shorter essays often do not have section headings.
Reports
Reports tend to be more business-like. They report on an issue or a piece of research, and they are always laid out in sections with headings which are often numbered.
Remember: Different departments have different preferences, so check the guidelines you are given.
Which of these points do you feel you manage well? Which might you find challenging?
To produce a good piece of academic writing needs time, effort and thought. Students often underestimate how much time is required for academic writing, and end up submitting a piece of work that doesn't really represent their ability.
Here are some common experiences students have reported:
Sometimes when you look at what you have to do, it can seem like a huge task.
It's helpful to break the task down into stages. Being clear about the different stages in the process of writing can really help you to plan properly, make the most of your time, and write well.
What are the main stages in the preparation of any piece of academic writing?
This first stage is absolutely critical, and you should make sure you do this thoroughly. Too many students have a quick look at the guidelines for their assignment and then rush off to the library without having a clear enough idea of what they're reading for.
Also if you don't analyse the question properly, you can go off in the wrong direction and answer something completely different from what has been asked. That certainly doesn't help your marks!
Tip: Use a highlighter to mark the key elements of the task. This can help you clarify in your mind exactly what you have to do.
When you feel clear about the title or question, you're ready to move on. It's always tempting at this stage to go directly to the library and begin your reading, but it's much better to pause…
Consider what you already know about the topic. Perhaps you could brainstorm your ideas onto a large sheet of paper. Make a mind map or spidergram or just jot down your ideas as they come to you. It can be very messy!
The main thing is just to get down your ideas on the topic. If you do this it will help in two important ways:
So try not to skip this stage! Build in time to do a brainstorm of your initial ideas on the topic.
How do you do this? There's no point in making a plan that ignores other important parts of your life, like spending time with friends or doing the shopping or helping the kids with their homework.
It's also a good idea to think about how long you will need for each of the stages we've discussed, and to set yourself some intermediate goals that you can tick off as you make progress. So:
Unless you have very good reasons, you must submit your work by the deadline or you will lose marks. So planning a schedule for your assignment is really important.
The purpose of writing assignments is to provide you with the opportunity to explore a topic or issue, and then demonstrate in writing what you have learnt. All writing assignments, therefore, require you to do some reading.
Many students say that they have real problems getting down to writing because they have read so much, and collected so much information that they don't know where to start. It's important to be selective.
Tip: Survey anything, before you read in detail.
Remember: As you read, make notes, preferably in your own words.
Writing
is quite a messy business, and it's as well to acknowledge this from
the start. Even great writers don't write exactly what they want first
time. However, if you strive for perfection from the beginning, you
might have difficulty getting started, or getting very far.
Once you've collected the information you need for your writing, you need to have a serious think about the plan for your writing.
Whether it's an essay or a report, you need to decide what the main sections and key content will be. To decide this, you need to return to the title or question and the guidelines you've been given.
Make a plan using a technique that suits you: mind map, linear, or even boxes. You may find it easier to start with the main section, and write the introduction later. Many students use this technique!
Another technique that students often find helpful is to lay out the main sections in a Word document, and then drop the relevant 'raw' content into each section. They then go back and transform this into connected sentences and paragraphs that flow logically.
There's no single correct way – find what suits you.
Tip: To help get started, it can be useful to tell yourself you're writing a draft, that you will come back to and revise.
This is a stage that students sometimes miss, maybe because they've run out of time, or because they feel so sick of the essay or report that they don't want to look at it again!
If your assignment looks slapdash, contains obvious errors, or repetitions, or you've forgotten some references, it can create a poor impression and you can lose marks.
Remember: Build in time to properly edit and review your writing.
Remember: Ensure you reference clearly, systematically and consistently. If you include the work or ideas of others without referencing it clearly, this is plagiarism. Plagiarism is a form of academic cheating and carries strict penalties.
Anne Chirnside
First published October 2006. Last updated 18 February 2009.
Students
said…